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Will be writing on last night’s occasion for Fanhouse and posting as soon as its ready.
Wishing everyone a peaceful, restful, joyful Holiday and looking forward to next week!
Katy Steding, Tara VanDerveer, Amy Tucker and Jennifer Azzi
I’ve known Candice Wiggins since she was a 17-year-old at Stanford. She has always been remarkably dignified and open about her family story and her father’s death from AIDS.
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day and Candice talked to me yesterday with her usual honesty and passion.
She is participating in a Public Service Announcement with the NBA and the organization Greater Than AIDS. This is worth passing along.
http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/fanhouse/candice-wiggins-on-world-aids-day/691947445001
Press releases are coming fast and furious from school’s about signing day.
This is what I’ve received from Arizona State. Will post them as we go.
Per the ASU Athletic Department:
TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University head women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne today announced that Karina Alofaituli, Promise Amukamara, Jada Blackwell and Eliza Normen have signed national letters of intent to study and play basketball at ASU.
Turner Thorne’s signing class combines exceptional talent with tremendous skill and athleticism to go along with high-quality character both on and off the court and in the classroom.
“Having the majority of our team as upperclassmen now, we really felt the need to sign an impact class that would be talented and tough enough to step in and continue our Sun Devil winning tradition,” Turner Thorne said. “These four young ladies are ‘stars’ at their respected high schools and will truly complement each other. We love that they are all four very strong ‘students’ as well as athletes.”
Ranked as high as No. 26 by HoopGurlz, Alofaituli is a six-foot forward, who is coming off a season in which she averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Alofaituli’s accolades include being named 2008-09 First-Team All-CIF Southern Section Division IIAA, 2008-09 All-Marmonte League and being named to the 2008-09 Daily News All-Area Preseason Team. She was the only girl from the state of California to be invited to play for the Candace Parker Aces, an adidas Grassroots Global Travel Team that toured Japan. In addition, Alofaituli played with “Team Taurasi” during her development as a player and will finish her high school career with California’s Mater Dei High School, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
“Karina, or Kiki as we call her, will remind a lot of our longtime fans of star forward Cian Carvalho,” Turner Thorne said. “She plays with amazing passion and intensity. She has a beautiful jump shot and plays like she is six-foot-three around the basket. Her relentless, aggressive style truly epitomizes “Sun Devil” basketball. We are thrilled that Kiki is playing for the No. 1 girls’ high school team in the country, Mater Dei, which will afford her great preparation and great coaching leading into her Sun Devil career.”
A five-foot-eight guard and local standout from Glendale, Amukamara averaged 22 points last season in helping guide her Apollo High School squad to the class 4A state final for the first time in more than 30 years. Her team’s Rookie of the Year as a freshman, sophomore of the Year and a member of the All-4A Division I First Team last season, Amukamara was recently named the 2010 Arizona Fall Prep MVP. She has also been named her school’s Athlete of the Year twice and was the Region Athlete of the Year for Track and Field in 2009 as she competed in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 1 and 4 x 4 State Champions 2009.
“Promise was a standout player right under our nose who I will confess we almost missed out on,” Turner Thorne explained. “Fortunately when her game really exploded this summer we were right there to watch her dominate opponents with her speed and aggressiveness on defense as well as her skill and versatility on offense. To borrow a cliché, she is a ‘diamond in the rough.’ I expect Promise to follow in her brother’s [current University of Nebraska senior cornerback Prince Amukamara] footsteps as an ‘under-the-radar’ recruit who becomes an impact player at the highest level of collegiate athletics. She is also a smart, hardworking young lady who will be a tremendous fit in our program.”
A six-foot-one post, Blackwell will be coming to ASU from Etiwanda High School in Etiwanda, Calif., where she was named team MVP following a season in which she led her team to the CIF State Tournament. In addition, Blackwell, who averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2009-10, was also named First-Team All-San Bernardino County, First-Team All-Baseline and First-Team All-CIF last season. Etiwanda’s 24-8 record last in 2009-10, included a perfect 10-0 record in league games.
“Jada has been a very good post player on the national scene, but during the last year she has stepped up her game to even greater heights,” Turner Thorne said. “She is a tough competitor and a super-skilled post. She will grab the rebound and then run the break, step out and drain three-pointers and yet has a big and strong presence on the block. She will be a superb fit for our offensive system and, much like her classmates, should contribute right away.”
A six-foot guard who is ranked No. 28 in HoopGurlz class of 2011, Normen was recently listed on the WBCA and McDonalds All American Candidates List for 2010 – 2011. Last season she averaged 12.0 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists per game while shooting above 45% from the field. Normen collected several honors last season including being named First-Team All Front Range League and All-Boulder County. She was named the G2 ‘Player of the week’ after averaging 17.0 points 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals during the first week of January. Her Monarch High School team finished No. 5 in the state with a record 22-5 overall record, including an unblemished 11-0 league record.
“Eliza has the versatility to play all the guard positions and has the savvy to lead a team,” Turner Thorne said. “Besides being an outstanding passer and tenacious defender, Eliza can score on opponents every which way – catch and shoot, pull-up, or post-up game. Eliza is such a smart, hardworking player that she will absolutely be able to help us right away. We will be rooting for Eliza to lead her deep, well-coached Monarch team to the state championship.”
Some familiar names here…It’s getting to be that time of year.
http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/19/womens-college-basketball-position-rankings/
As of Oct. 1, leftcoasthoops will not longer be billing for subscriptions. LCH will be a totally free site, continuing with content about women’s basketball on the West Coast.
Me, working hard on LCH
This is my opportunity to again thank everyone who supported this site through the first year. When I started 18 months ago, LCH was to be my way to stay close to the women’s game and to serve as an income source during a time of career transition.
Your subscription support did nothing less than help this site get up and running!
I am eternally grateful for everyone who was kind and patient and supportive and I hope to honor all of that by continuing to provide content here that you won’t find anywhere else.
I am lucky enough to come through my career transition in a very good place. I am working fulltime at AOL Fanhouse now, covering a variety of college sports — including national women’s basketball at the pro and college level.
But for me, LCH is a special place and it is that way because you were all there to help me build it.
Thank you!
I needed a little entertainment on an early September evening.
It’s not college football season in Storrs…
The Oregon women’s basketball team was one of the last in the conference to release its schedule this week and it’s clear that Ducks coach Paul Westhead is looking to set up his team for a successful non-conference. It’s not a slate that’s going to do much for Oregon’s RPI, but will likely give the Ducks a good-looking record headed into conference play.
There is one NCAA Tournament team on the Ducks’ non-conference schedule, UC Riverside, and three teams from the West Coast Conference.
The season opens with a home game against Western Oregon on No. 13 followed by a two-game trip that includes dates at Long Beach State and Portland.
The Ducks will host a Thanksgiving weekend tournament that includes Bakersfield, Sacramento State and Idaho.
Oregon travels to Boise for a Dec. 3 game against Boise State, followed by two games at home against Riverside and Denver.
The Ducks will be in the Bay Area heading into the holidays at St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
Oregon is coming off an 18-16 season in Westhead’s debut, the program’s highest win total since 2004-05. The Ducks, behind the talented backcourt of seniors Taylor Lilley and Micaela Cocks, made their first postseason appearance since 2007 and were invited to the WNIT.
Oregon will have five new players on the roster, Westhead’s first recruiting class.
Jayne Appel hasn’t had the kind of rookie season in the WNBA she likely hoped for.
Her foot and ankle injuries slowed her start and she’s see relatively limited minutes this season with San Antonio, minutes that have included some very bright moments.
But it’s not stopped her from being voted an All-Star by a fervent Stars fan base and it didn’t stop USA Basketball from adding her Wednesday to the player pool for the US women’s national team.
With the shoulder injury to Candace Parker that has taken her off the roster for the upcoming World Championships, Team USA needed size in the post to compete, in particular with Australia and Russia and their size inside.
So the program added four players, including Appel, Rebekkah Brunson, Ebony Hoffman and Kia Vaughn.
The pool of players is at 24. The final roster of 12 will be announced on Sept. 21. The World Championships begin in the Czech Republic on Sept. 23.
Oregon State is still looking to fill out its roster for this fast-arriving season and into the immediate future. And while Scott Rueck has been out looking for players, there’s a new plan to bring the players to him.
The Beavers will be holding a one-day prospect camp on Sunday, Aug. 29 in Gill Coliseum. Registration for the camp, which is open to high school juniors, seniors and current college students with NCAA eligibility remaining, runs through Aug. 28.
The cost is $25.
If a college student who comes to the camp is enrolled in another institution, she cannot have started Fall 2010 classes. Any individuals who previously attended a four-year school will have to have a transfer release prior to participating in camp.
The camp will run from noon-8:30 p.m.
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